Uber rare matt black BMW Petri for the BMW 2002
Mads van Appeldoorn
October 19, 2024
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The even harder to find original black Petri steering wheel for the BMW E10
Finding a very good Petri steering wheel for the classic BMWs is difficult enough. Over the years I have collected a few, a few found their way into my BMWs, an E9 and an E10, and with the others I was able to make many other BMW enthusiasts happy. What I didn’t manage to get hold of for a long time was one of these rare matt black examples. It was the third one I had ever seen and I was the lucky one chosen by the previous owner.
Because he liked my collection and wanted to make sure it went to a good home. And here it is now, in a good home and I have the opportunity to show it to you steering wheel enthusiasts. I actually wanted to show it last year, but then the move, my car washes and a few other projects got in the way.
The Petri company + the sports steering wheels for BMW
No, I’m not going to talk about the story of Petri and the steering wheel again. I’ve done that enough, you can read it here. Today it’s all about the black Petri sports steering wheel and why many people believe that the few that even exist were painted at some point by a previous owner – and why that is wrong.
At the time when these steering wheels were incredibly popular as an optional extra for BMW 2002 and BMW E9, in the late 1960s to mid/late 1970s, chrome was the style of choice and everyone had chrome on their cars. Trims, bumpers, interiors, even rims and hubcaps were chrome-plated. It wasn’t until the late 1970s that the trend slowly faded and the trims suddenly turned black – you get the point.
Sports purpose or luxury show off purpose
During this time, chrome steering wheels were an expression of luxury and style, everyone wanted chrome, it looked more valuable, was more valuable and you just had to have it if you thought you were someone.
To be honest, it was never a real sports steering wheel. Even though Petri called it that, with the thin rim it was not at all suitable for motorsport. Real sports steering wheels at the time were made with a thick grip, heavy duty leather – and most of them were black. Also so that the driver is not blinded when the sun reflects on it. So yes, the Petri steering wheel was indeed available in black as well, but only a very small number of people apparently opted for the black variant.
The ad in the next picture clearly states it.
Headline: Sports steering wheel
And below it reads: In foam with leather grain, Spokes matt black or matt chrome. And next to it – that’s the actual black Petri sports steering wheel.
Petri ad, talking about matt black and matt chrome variants
matt black Petri sports steering wheel
Rumors about the black Petri sports steering wheel
There are a few rumors about the black Petri sports steering wheel, none of which could be proven in the course of my research, which lasted about a year. If you know more about it, let me know. I’ll also take more guesses.
The first rumor that a salesman told me years ago was that the black Petri sports steering wheels were intended for motorsport purposes. I didn’t believe that. I also asked an expert, who can’t imagine that either. The second rumor is that they were intended for the Alpina 2002s, but that couldn’t be proven either. In addition, Alpina always had its own branded steering wheels. The third rumor is that they were only intended for the 2002 Turbo, but that can’t be proven either and turns out to be nonsense considering the real 2002 Turbo steering wheels. Nevertheless, I always find it exciting to hear stories like that.
matt black spoke Petri 350mm steering wheel
beautiful black lines
black on black on black on black
black on black on black on black
Hub without the hub cover
What seems interesting, all the black Petri steering wheels I have seen came without the hub cover. Well, that could have been broken, that’s what these guys like to do, but interestingly, unlike the chrome variants, where the hub has not been painted, the hubs that came with the black Petri sports steering wheel has always been painted black. I have to assume that this was intentional by the factory, however, I have no proof for that. But the quality of the paint job is so good, I don’t believe one owner of a black Petri sports steering wheel started it and everyone else was just copying it.
In my opinion, it looks bad-ass and raw and that’s what I like about it!
What I also tried to find out was whether these hubs have a different part number and thus indicate a different purpose. But unfortunately no luck, my black hub has the same part number as the unpainted hubs of the chrome steering wheels. My hub has the part no 32331113192, which indicates it belongs to a 350mm variant and was available for the 1502-2002 tii models (only).
original Petri hub for a 2002 but painted black by the factory
black spoked 350mm Petri sports steering wheel
matt black Petri BMW E10 2002 sports steering wheel
matt chrome Petri BMW E10 2002 sports steering wheel
The Petri to Momo hub adapter
As previously mentioned, these hubs are harder to find than the wheels itself. If you come across a wheel and can’t find an adapter for your E9 or E10 or even want to install such a wheel in a lets say E30 or even another brand, there is a solution from now on. The all new Petri to Momo hub adapter. Momo hubs are widely available, so just get a Momo hub and the adapter and install your Petri sports steering wheel in whatever car you like. And of course it comes with an all new cover ring and all screws necessary.
Petri to Momo hub adapter and cover ring
Made from high quality aluminum in Germany
